Edwards claims all-star pole, Johnson qualifies 18th

Concord, NC (Sports Network) - Carl Edwards will start on the pole for the
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race after posting the quickest time in Friday's
qualifying at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Edwards, who won the all-star event in 2011, completed his three laps around
this 1.5-mile racetrack and performed his mandatory four-tire pit in 1 minute,
51.297 seconds. It will be the first time the Roush Fenway Racing driver will
start on the pole for this race.

Earlier this week, NASCAR officials announced that a speed limit would not be
enforced when a driver enters or exits pit road during his qualifying attempt.
Those drivers participating in qualifying were running at speeds more than 150
mph on pit road.

The excessive speeds caused problems for several drivers during their pit
stops, including Jimmie Johnson, the defending all-star race winner, and Kevin
Harvick.

Johnson overshot his pit box and had to back it up, which lost him valuable
time. He also was hit with a five-second penalty for a loose lug nut. Johnson
will start 18th in the 22-car field, with his time in 2:04.462.

Harvick also slid across the line in his pit area. His crew had already jumped
over the pit wall to begin work on the car when he was in reverse and still
not completely in the box. That disqualified Harvick's time, putting him in
the 19th starting position.

Kurt Busch, who won the pole for last weekend's race at Darlington, earned the
outside pole with a time of 1:52.447. Busch won the all-star race in 2010.

Greg Biffle qualified third, while Kyle Busch and Joey Logano rounded out the
top-five. Kyle Busch had won the pole for this event the previous two years.

Clint Bowyer took the sixth spot, followed by Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin, Kasey
Kahne and Jeff Gordon. Dale Earnhardt Jr. originally had the second-best
qualifying time, but Earnhardt was assessed a five-second penalty for a
missing lug nut during his stop, dropping him to the 15th starting spot.

The first 19 positions were determined in qualifying. The top-two finishers in
the Sprint Showdown (40-lap preliminary race) will advance into the all-star
event. And the last spot will go to the winner of the fan vote.

In qualifying for the Sprint Showdown, Martin Truex Jr. topped the charts at
193.424 mph. Truex has won the Showdown twice in the past to advance into
the main event (2007 and '10).